FREE ESSAY ON JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH

In the novel, A Journey to the Center of the Earth, author Jules Verne tells the
fictitious story of three men and their adventures as they descend into the depths of the
earth. The leading character in this expedition is a fifty-year-old German professor
named Hardwigg. He is an uncle to the narrator, Henry (Harry), a simple Englishman. The
other man is Hans, a serene Icelandic guide. 
Professor Hardwigg finds a piece of parchment that written in Runic in a book. Harry
finds out before his uncle that it says there is a way to get into the center of the
earth through a mountain (Mt. Sneffels) in Iceland. Harry is reluctant to tell his uncle
the message because he is afraid his uncle will actually want to visit the center of the
earth. He was right because the professor wanted to explore as soon as possible. 
They head off to Iceland, and, along the way, receive Hans as their guide. The journey to
the mountain itself takes a while. They reach the entrance to the center, and from there,
they head inside. Once in the dark labyrinths, they descend (this goes on for days). The
three men then face difficulties: thirst, light, getting lost, injuries, and fatigue,
were among them. 
They make many discoveries. They find that there's a sea, with fish and sea monsters.
They find forests, giant mushrooms, animals that look like dinosaurs, and even what seems
to be giant human beings. 
The idea of writing this story came from a scientist who explored the crater of a certain
mountain. Verne got the idea that maybe it would be possible to descend even further into
the earth. Many of Verne's "fantasy" stories have come true in the years following his
death in the year 1905. A Journey to the Center of the Earth is farthest from reality.
Even with the technology we have today, it would be impossible for one to descend into
the earth. For one thing, we know now that the earth can't be hollow because of extreme
pressures and temperatures.
People became interested in Verne's stories during his time because though they were
unrealistic, they were too interesting and entertaining to pass up. Some people even
believed he had traveled to the many places that he wrote of. While checking into a hotel
once, the woman told him to rest well in the room because he must be tired from his many
adventures. She probably thought this because Verne uses facts of science so well the
story can seem as if it were actually the real thing.
Verne's writings about submarines, space travel, helicopters were prophecies of the
future. It is a mystery how he came up with such ideas for wonderfully told adventures.
Verne grew up when steam engines were changing the world. He was the first writer to
proclaim that scientific discovery could prompt remarkable stories.
I found A Journey to the Center of the Earth thoughtful and mind-boggling at the same
time. The discoveries they find are truly unbelievable: Sea monsters, a sea, giants,
forests and giant mushrooms. These are surely non-existent because nothing like them
could live in such circumstances. The characters in this story must have also been
extremely strong and determined, since they're able to live for so long underground in
darkness (somewhat). The beginning of the story is quite slow; they take a long time to
start descending into the earth. Once you get into the story, its quite easy to find
yourself in the midst of the channels of granite.
A Journey to the Center of the Earth is a wonderfully well written book. The very idea of
a person being able to travel into the earth is remarkable in itself. To put seas and
creatures into the story is exceptional. Jules Verne is such a great writer, he makes
this adventure seem as if it actually happened; as if it weren't just some fantasy, but
an undeniable existence.